A Match Made To Burn
by PinkLightning21
Summary: Tony Stark has everything he could ever want, and not a care in the world. When he says "jump," people ask "how high?" Except, that is, for Maxine McLean. This spit fire woman is giving Tony a run for his money, and everything get shot to all hell when they make the ultimate commitment. Hiding this secret is not going to be easy, not even for the newly-wed Mr. and Mrs. Stark.
1. One Mistake Too Many ::Prologue::

"I love you, Tony Stark."

The words dripped from her cherry red lips in the hazy morning glow, surrounded in plush blanketing made from some form of expensive, white mammal. A mane of fiery orange hair draped over petite shoulders, thick black lashes lay just above touching the porcelain complexion of a woman. Her voice soft and husky from lack of sleep. He felt her hands, still, all over his body. Her sensuous lips against his bare skin, the dragging of her nails- red to match her lips -down his back amidst the cry of that melodious voice. The memory curved the corners of his mouth upward, wrinkling the rough stubble-covered features of his face.

The rustling beneath the covers drew his stark blue eyes down to the figure resting on his chest. Her head lifted and she blinked a few times, trying to steady her drowsy gaze as her jade green pupils settled on his face. Her lips pursed only the slightest bit, her morning face holding almost complete and utter innocence with the light peeking through the white lace curtains of the hotel room, illuminating her high cheekbones and heart-shaped face. Tony let his gaze wander her features, taking in all of her appearance. She wasn't just pretty, or sexy or anything of the sort. Those words just didn't fit the description of this delicate creature staring back at him. She oozed sensuality, and simply the only word to describe her would be beautiful. Strikingly beautiful.

Pushing herself to the edge of the bed, she stood, one hand reaching up to shovel her mountainous orange mane of hair out of her way. With it flipped over the one side of her scalp, she picked up her phone from the pile of clothing at the foot of the bed, checking lazily. Tony merely watched, soaking up the look of her. Her skin wasn't pale, it had a soft vanilla tint to it, giving her the appearance of snow-like. His eyes wandered to that sweet dip just above her hips, over her round, perky rump and down her mile-long legs.

"I'm going to shower, you should probably order breakfast."

Her voice jerked Tony from his thoughts, bringing his attention to her face again. "Y..Yeah, okay." he stammered, clearing his throat as he brought his arms up and crossed them behind his head as he stretched himself out over the bed. The woman disappeared into the bathroom and he closed his eyes with a relaxed sigh. His mind began to wander to that night, attempting to grasp at some memory of what had happened.

He'd flown into Vegas for a Christmas Party. _Huh, it's Christmas. _He gave a snort at the thought and settled back into thought. He'd proceeded to leave the party early, in search of a stronger liquor. Champagne just wasn't doing it that night, and he was sickened by all these overly-smiling people. A brief picture came into mind.

A woman, leaning against the side of a brick building, a cigarette in her mouth as she fumbled with the keypad on her cell phone. She looked flustered, angry even. That flirtatious head of hair pulled up in some strange mess of a bun, a few strands having escaped and were tickling the sides of her face and the nape of her slender neck. He had had half a bottle of beer by then, compliments of the corner market, and sauntered up to her. A lady in distress was somehow intriguing to him.

They had talked, and he had offered her a night in a shady bar in return for a smile. She'd laughed. It brought a twinkle to her eyes that he had absolutely loved. So they'd gone to the bar, obviously drank themselves incoherent, and wound up in bed. Seemed simple enough, but something was missing. He wasn't seeing it, and whatever it was, his gut wrenched at the importance of this fact. But what? What on this God-forsaken planet could he be missing?

Opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling, Tony grumbled in frustration and sat up, rubbing his eyes to try and get a grip on what was so puzzling. And then, he stopped, a sudden jerk freezing his movement. Every muscle in his body tensed, so much his hands shook slightly. He slowly pulled his hands away from his eyes and stared at his left. His gaze was intense, as though if he focused hard enough and with enough intent on the object, it would vanish. But it wouldn't. It was still there. Taunting him. The solid gold band hung to his finger indefinitely, staring him down. He blinked hard, so much it hurt his eye sockets. Nope. It was still there. Gleaming in the sunlight that intruded the room from the window at his left. _Well shit._

Tony's head dropped into his hands in defeat, heaving a gruff and angry sigh as he stared at the white fur bed cover over his lap. Then, his head snapped up, staring at the bathroom door with widening eyes. His bride. This woman was his wife, the woman he'd unknowingly sworn himself to with slurred words and disgusting alcohol-breath. The woman he married until death do they part. This woman- Name. Her name. Oh God what was her name? Panic surged through him like a bolt of electricity, his heart pounding in his ears. He wet his suddenly-dry lips and tried to relax. The shower shut off, leaving him in complete silence as his ears picked up on the sound of her shoving aside the shower curtain, stepping out of the shower and onto the tile floor.

Swallowing, he pushed himself to remember, remember the name of his **wife. **It couldn't be this hard, he was Tony Stark. The genius heir to his father's enormous life-devoted career, the weapon's expert that invented military grade machinery off the top of his head. He kept his calm under any and all circumstances, why, for the love of God, couldn't he remember the name of the woman he got married to. Then it hit him, came back in a lush wave of relief. _Max. Her name is Maxine. _He chuckled at how simple that was.

After getting dressed and attempting to run a comb through his wild hair, of which he gave up on, he pulled open the curtains of the hotel room and stared outside, his eyes surveying the Vegas streets and casinos blotting out the horizon. Buttoning the last of his pale blue shirt, he glanced back at the bathroom door- which still had yet to open. A small thought crossed his mind, _Maybe she can't remember MY name._ It made a gruff laugh escape his lips at the thought. Everyone knew who he was, he was Tony Stark, head of Stark Industries. His face was in every tabloid across the east coast, in every Stark Industries add on millions of billboards all over the Earth, his television commercial shown in eighteen different languages, in twice as many countries. You'd have to have lived under a rock for your entire life not to know _his_ name.

A click, the turning of the doorknob caught his attention. Her hair was still wet, flat against her head, her face scrubbed clean of any makeup- giving her cheeks a rosy glow. She looked at him, and for a second he thought she was going to bolt out the door and never look back.

He wouldn't blame her.

Her gaze softened and a smile lit her entire face, that same smile that had made him feel so warm that chilled night. He gravitated towards her, standing a good six inches over her head- of which he planted a kiss on. She wrapped her slender arms around his torso and let herself lean into him, letting go of a small sigh. Tony couldn't help the smile, running his hands over her bare shoulders and down her back. The white camisole she wore doing absolutely nothing to hide the delicious curve of her back, holding his hands in the indent just above the hem of her gray 'skinny' jeans.

"Did you order breakfast?" She asked, her voice slightly smothered by her face being buried in his broad chest. This made Tony's eyebrows raise for a moment. "Ah- No. We should go down to the restaurant, it's much better than the room service." She gave a curt nod, not entirely convincing, but she moved out of his arms to pick up her small leather jacket that was thrown over the back of the computer chair that sat in front of the empty on their side of the bed. Pulling it on, she turned to look at him again., and she stopped short of zipping it up.

"Tony, we need to talk..." He held up his hand to stop her, closing his eyes. "I know. We can talk over a nice, hot breakfast." He interjected, then proceeded to tuck in his shirt and rake a hand through his thick, dark hair. Hesitantly, she nodded and resumed zipping up the trendy leather jacket. After pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, her side-bangs dangling just over her right brow, they headed out of the hotel room and towards the elevator, a heavy tension right on their tail.

Twisting the diamond wedding ring around her finger, Max swallowed hard against the dry lump in her throat. She'd done some pretty reckless things in her life, but this.. This was a whole new leap in the term 'unpredictable.' How was she supposed to tell her father about this one? Then again, it wasn't like she hadn't seen his looks of disapproval before, or that way he would rub his face in an over dramatized manner at her. She shook her head and let her hands drop into her lap as Tony returned with a pile of the buffet food on his plate.  
Max took this moment to give him a once-over. Thick, untamed locks of dark brown hair, framing his stern face that held classic, stark features. _Well there's a pun. _The thought brought a small twitch to the corner of her mouth, a smile threatening. His eyes were something else, that clear shade of blue that was rather enticing when he stared them back at you. His rough stubble around his jawline, thickening around his chin and under his nose to bring in that signature goatee he carried. It was unkempt as of this morning, which was a site not many got to see, she figured. His broad nose that gave him the false appearance of high regard, dignity.  
It was then that he looked at her, their eyes locked for that moment, and she melted. The unusual kindness that appeared in his eyes made her toes tingle, and that feeling carried north. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin to try and regain her composure. Opening her mouth to speak first, Tony beat her.  
"I don't know what you did to wrangle me into this but-"  
"What _I_did to wrangle _you _into this?"  
She leaned forward, eyebrows raised as his came down and furrowed. "Well excuse me, Tony Stark: Renown _playboy _of the West coast, I think it's the other way around." By the fury threatening in his eyes, she could tell she'd stirred his anger. She smiled.  
He brought his arms up to set his elbows on the table, letting his cheeks rest on his palms as he flamboyantly rolled his eyes, wiping the smile from Max's face almost immediately. "Are you mocking me?" She hissed, her stunningly bright eyes ablaze with frustration. Who did this man think he was?  
"No, Max, I've decided to take after my mother." He spat back, sarcasm dripping from his words like venom. They sat there in silence for a while, prodding their food with the eating utensils. Neither of them had had an appetite to begin with.  
He brought his arms down and leaned back in his chair, glancing around the room with a look of disturbance in his eyes. Maxine set her fork down on the table and tossed her wadded up napkin onto the unfinished meal. She stood, her chair making a loud groan against the wood of the restaurant's floor. His attention snapped back to her, curiosity sparking. "And just where do you think you're going?" He draped an arm over the back of his chair and stared up at her. She bit her lip, suddenly realizing she really had nowhere to go. They were in Las Vegas, a ways away from her familiar home in Redding, California.  
"Away from you." She snapped, striking him with a look of intense hatred, but he didn't even flinch. He blew out a long sigh as they stayed there, then he looked at her. "No, sit down." He gestured to her chair and adjusted himself in his. It wasn't a question, but an order. Max sat.  
"I admit, maybe my unbelievable charmwon you over, but you're just as much a part of this as I am." His tone wasn't apologetic, sympathetic or any of the sort. He sounded, of all things, bored. He was irritated with this bump in his life, bored with this situation and just wanted to get on a plane and fly the hell back to Los Angeles like it never happened. It was Max's turn to roll her eyes, mimicking the way he'd done it to her.  
"I think the only part of this that really ruffles your feathers, is the idea that I'll go to the press. Think about it, the headline article of the next five papers." She sat up and lifted her hands to pantomime a title of a newspaper in the air. " 'America's Playboy, What Scandal Has He Gotten Himself Into Now?' " She announced with mock awe. "Or, 'America's Favorite Playboy, Has He Finally Settled Down?'" She dropped her hands and looked at him, annoyance plastered across his face. Before he could speak, Max continued. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, I won't blab. If anything, to protect _my _image." She leaned back, absentmindedly swiping a loose strand of orange hair behind her ear.  
Tony's eyes closed and he shook his head. "My life's reputation is in the hands of a spit-fire woman." He muttered, avoiding her eyes. "It'll be like this never happened." Her voice was just above a whisper, and he could have sworn he detected a hint of regret in the words. They looked at each other then, a silent agreement settling between the two of them. Tony stood, Max followed, and they walked towards the front door of the hotel.  
After they both found separate cabs, they stopped to look at each other. Max rested her hand on the roof of the yellow vehicle and stared at Tony. He had sun glasses on, making it impossible to read his own expression. "It never happened." He repeated, Max nodded and they both entered the cabs. They had sworn to never see each other again after that morning, Tony would have her things delivered within the week from the hotel, and the rings were inconspicuously dropped in a donation box by the front desk. Mr. and Mrs. Stark would never speak of this again.


	2. Must Have Slipped My Mind ::Chapter 1::

_Seven years later..._

The 2008 Chevy Camaro rocketed down the highway, leaving behind scattered tumbleweeds and dust clouds. A slender hand tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the loud CD playing through the vehicle, deep purple nails shimmering in the dimming sunlight overhead. Sunglasses hid the eyes of the woman behind the wheel, long, straight black hair fell a ways past her shoulders and her straight-edge bangs hung just above her brow bone. Her voice sang along with the lyrics in a low tune as she pushed the car at 98mph.

Maxine McLean stared ahead through her dark aviators at the barren stretch of road that was taking her in a west-bound direction. Checking the clock on her radio, she nodded. Right on scheduler. She thought with a smile. A sign ahead told her exactly what she knew, Malibu- 5 Miles.

She silently took note of what she had to do that night, considering she'd pretty much have to leave the comfortable hotel room the second she got there. She was in town for a large party, not by her choice of course. If she'd had it her way, she would have booked the next flight for "as far away from Tony Stark as possible." But of course, her father had insisted she go, even bought her a dress. How could she refuse?

After seven years, she still hadn't told her dad about that dreadful escapade in Vegas, and she didn't plan to. Ever. Tony and she had agreed that it had never happened, and he'd filed for a divorce the second he got back to Los Angeles. Just one night, one night of stiff greetings and the toasting of a drink. That's all she had to get through. She could avoid Tony all night if she tried hard enough, it was a big party, lots of people to mingle with who's last name was _not_ Stark.

Pulling into the parking lot of her hotel, she killed the engine and sat there a minute, taking off her sunglasses and staring at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. "You can do this, Maxine. You've spent seven years molding yourself into the perfect liar, this should be child's play." She blew out a long breath and suddenly realized her heart was skipping. She never did like calling herself _Maxine_. That was her father's taste, and she hated her name. She preferred 'Max.'

She bit her lip and shoved her door open, trying to scrub the thoughts of Tony from her mind. He'd been the first one to call her Max. Dragging her suitcases through the lobby, she checked in and proceeded to go upstairs and prepare herself for the hell she had thrown herself into.

Maxine sipped the incredibly sweet beverage in the champagne glass she held, having been nursing it all night long. She continued to pretend to take interest in whatever the woman to her left was talking about, her thoughts elsewhere. Such as, where Tony was. She knew he was here, this was a party for him, after all. He's probably sitting at the bar, having shots with some busty blonde, she thought with a small twitch at the corner of her mouth. It wasn't a secret that Tony's number one priorities were as follows: Himself, booze, and women. That never changed.

Maxine excused herself from the group she didn't even know and walked through the crowd of laughing, half drunk millionaires and heiresses. Inconspicuously, Maxine dumped the rest of her drink into the exotic-looking plant by the door to the balcony and continued walking with an innocent look plastered over her face. She continued to weave her way through the people, attempting to find someone she knew or even a face she recognized.

A slender red head dressed in a stunning blue gown stood off to the side, surveying the crowd of people with a relaxed, open posture. With a warm smile, Maxine strode her direction. "I don't know a single person in this room." Maxine murmured with a sheepish look in her eyes as she stood beside the woman. The redhead looked at her with a soft laugh and nodded. "The feeling is mutual." She responded, and they were locked in a small silence.

"Maxine McLean." Maxine extended her hand, breaking the awkward air. The redhead took her hand and shook it, nodding. "Pepper Potts." She replied, they shared a small smile and went into a conversation about the gown Pepper was wearing- considering Maxine was in love with it. Her father had picked out a deep green dress, nothing too elegant, just something that brought out the already-stunning shade of her eyes.

The evening went much smoother around Pepper, she was a sweet woman, easy to talk to. Maxine had yet to ask about her reason for being at the party, but somehow she didn't want to know how this beautiful redhead knew Tony. That was just asking for trouble. Instead, they simply continued on a comfortable subject of recent events. Maybe this night would go better than Maxine had hoped, if she could just stay away from the familiar blue eyes that haunted her.

Taking down the last of his drink, Tony glanced around the room at the faces of his guests. These people really meant nothing to him, they were all devoted to his father. He set the glass down on the bar and strode towards Pepper at the opposite end of the room, smiling at how her face lit up as she conversed with the woman in front of her. The woman's back was to him, so he couldn't see her face, but he couldn't help letting his eyes leisurely stroll over her figure. He smirked, liking the sight, and picked up his pace towards the two women.

As he approached, Pepper caught his gaze and gave a sweet smile in his direction, their conversation stopping. Tony gave a nod to her as he slowed near them. The woman with dark hair turned to him, and all the blood in drained from him. He froze, eyes wide and muscles tensing so much that he thought he might go into some epileptic episode right then and there.

Either he'd had _way_ too much to drink, or those fierce jade eyes staring at him with equal shock were real. He quickly scratched the idea of the alcohol from his mind, knowing very well that no amount of liquor could produce such a terrifying illusion. They spoke at the same time, fumbling over their words until they just closed their mouths. Tony swallowed, hard, against the rough sudden-dryness of his throat. He cleared it, and attempted to talk again. "Max. You look different." He offered, her eyes sparked at this and he inwardly kicked himself.

"I suppose I grew up after I met you." She quipped, a small smirk tilting her deep red lips. "I can see you didn't." She added, their eyes still locked. "I prefer being me. I like the benefits." He responded stiffly. "Yes, I'm sure being an egotistical prick comes with such high marks."

Her eyes narrowed and his eyebrow lifted. Pepper cleared her throat nervously and both of them looked at her, having completely forgotten she was even standing there. "So, you two know each other?" She asked with intent to stop them from making a scene. Maxine's posture relaxed and she crossed her arms with a wry smile. "Yeah, we met seven years ago." She replied slowly, but the look that Tony suddenly gave her made her skin crawl.

"Max, I-" "I go by Maxine, now." Tony paused, staring at her in disbelief for a second. "We need to talk." He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the open doorway that led to the hallway. He pulled her past several guests who were sharing private conversations down the hall, he shoved her into an empty room and closed the door behind them, leaving them in silence. "I'm sure you'd like to have another one-night stand with me, Tony but-" "Shut up." He stopped her, squaring his shoulders and walking up to her to tower over her intimidatingly.

Maxine actually felt his power for a minute, knowing all too well that Tony Stark could have her taken care of without a single trace left behind. She shut up.

Tony shoved his hands in his pants pockets and stared at her, the eyes that once consoled her on a cold night in Vegas were staring her down with an icy gaze that could pierce right through her. A shiver ran up her spine, causing goosebumps to rise along her arms and shoulders. She watched him close his eyes and slump against the door before he suddenly went off in a panicked tone.

"I meant to get the papers done, Max, I really did. I meant to call my lawyer the day I got back from Vegas but I just never got around to it. No one knows, Max. Not even Pepper."

Maxine stood there for a moment, trying to comprehend what he was saying so fast she had a hard time keeping up with his voice. She held up her hand and stopped him, opening her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She tried again. "Tony, if I'm haring you correctly... You're saying that you and I are..." he nodded slowly and their gazes locked. "We're still, legally, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Stark."


	3. I Know Your Secret ::Chapter 2::

**Okay so I've not actually put a heading up here before. Good to see you guys reading :) And the review was fantastic, thanks so much! And to you others who put an alert on this story! I'm so thankful! Being new to this site is hard.**

**Anyways! Here's chapter three, this is where things start getting interesting. I hope you enjoy! Stay beautiful.**

2 

Sitting in the dark hotel room, the only thing illuminating Maxine's face was the tv tuned into the news channel. She sat there, staring at it but not paying attention to it. Her mind was back in that room, back with Tony, when he'd told her they were still married. Her hair was a tousled mess, dark circles under her eyes- which had mascara and liner smeared around them.

After Tony had told her, she'd become a mess and had rushed from the room and made her way back to the hotel as fast as she could. No one knew about the Vegas marriage, and now no one knew that they were still bound in holy matrimony. This was ridiculous. She was Maxine McLean, she'd have the divorce filed immediately. She should have called her lawyer the second she got back. Yet... She didn't. Why? Why didn't she call and have the papers arranged? She hated Tony Stark, couldn't stand to be in the same room as him for more than two minutes.

_You still married him._ The thought made her blink, lifting her head and straightening up her posture. _You married him seven years ago for a reason_. Shaking her head, Maxine stood and walked to the bathroom. She turned the hot water on and leaned over the sink to stare at herself in the mirror. "He tricked me. The only way I would ever think I loved him, was because he put on some stupid act to make me feel like he loved me." She told herself, steam slowly rising from the sink. She added cool water and proceeded to scrub her face clean. Pulling her hair back into a messy bun, she sighed slowly. She knew the reason she hadn't called her lawyer, she knew it as soon as she'd asked herself the question.

_You believe there's still a chance._ Closing her eyes, Maxine tried to force back the tears that were threatening. She'd cried enough over Tony, and she couldn't let feelings like this spring up after six years of repressing it to become the woman her father had always expected. Emotions like this were going to destroy the walls she had tried so hard to build up. Her heart had been a wreck for a year after Tony, she'd been unable to focus on her life until her father suggested she go back to school and earn a college degree. Then, at least, she'd been able to throw herself into her schooling and ignore the rest of the world. Ignore the heartache Tony Stark had caused her.

Now, after everything, she was going to let one stupid night get to her. One little mistake that Tony had made, one look from those cool blue eyes, that chiseled face and masculine... _No. Stop it, Max. Stop before you get yourself into something that will only lead to more pain_. She turned away from the mirror and shut the bathroom light off as she exited and strode towards the tv to shut it off, when something caught her attention on screen. She moved back and turned the volume up to listen to the new reporter's words.

"...-has taken the world by storm with his continuous acts of valor towards people in need. It appears that _Iron Man_ has become the world's real-life superhero. Yet, so many questions remain unanswered about this mysterious guardian. Why is he doing this? Why now? And most of all, who are you, Iron man?" The woman's voice faded out as the screen showed footage of recent appearances made by this armored hero. Maxine stared at him, a million thoughts rushing through her head at this news.

Maxine turned away from the tv, turning it off and crawling into the bed with a long sigh. This was too much, even for her. Maybe sleep would relieve her of all of the stress of the world, let her feel like it wasn't on her shoulders.

Standing in the Starbucks, Maxine checked her watch again as she switched weight to her left foot. Maybe stilettos weren't the best choice for that morning, but that's the price you pay to look like you're all put together. Even if you aren't. She glanced over the line of people, her _Guess_ brand sunglasses hiding her eyes, but their shimmering rhinestones on the frame caught the sunlight. "Come on, I'm going to miss the meeting..." She muttered, tilting her head back and sighing harshly. "Hey, lady, you mind?" The boy behind her quipped, making her lift her head and look back at him, her hair having disturbed his concentration by falling back on the book he was reading. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She stepped forward to allow him more space.

_Today could not go more wrong._ She groaned inwardly, but the universe was about to prove her wrong. A loud crash outside caused the whole building to shake and throw a few people and their drinks. Maxine grabbed the nearest table and crouched under it. "EARTHQUAKE!" Someone screamed, but a quick glance out the front window said differently. Maxine threw off her sunglasses and stared at the masked men. They possessed a very large, very powerful piece of machinery, the thing responsible for rocking downtown Malibu. They fired another rocket in the direction of the Starbucks, Maxine's eyes widened. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" She cried, and everyone in the coffee shop obeyed, ducking and throwing themselves out of the way of the incoming missile.

It crashed through the front glass and into the back of the shop, causing a screaming mob to flee from the shop before it made impact with something hard enough to detonate it. Maxine kicked off her heels and sprinted for the door, making it out to the sidewalk just as the entire building exploded in a massacre. She was thrown forward into the middle of the street, landing hard on the pavement with several others. She looked back at the building, now in complete, smoking ruin. Her eyes then sought the men that were reloading the weapon of mass destruction. _Terrorists? Why would terrorists attack Malibu?_ She thought, puzzled more by this than worried for her life at the moment.

One of the men looked at her and she froze, his eyes sparking as he reached for her. Maxine let out a scream as he grabbed her and threw her into another of the masked men. Suddenly, a woman's voice shouted through the rest of them and everything stopped for a moment, staring into the sky. "Look! It's that Iron Man guy!" She cried, Maxine's eyes darted up, searching frantically for this so-called superhero. Sure enough, a large suit of high-tech armor landed dramatically in front of them, the man standing at his full height and staring at the terrorists. For a moment, Maxine could have sworn... No, that was impossible. Then, the man gripping her arms thrust her forward, causing her to stumble at the armored hero. She felt the heavy metal arms of this man around her and she looked up, staring at the masked face. The Iron Man froze for a moment, staring down at Maxine's tousled hair and panicked eyes. Quickly, he set her down onto the pavement behind him to race after the retreating evil-doers. But not quickly enough. Maxine stared after him, her eyes wide, a small smirk forming a curve in her lips.

Tony watched the large screen, the news replaying today's heroic events of one very familiar superhero. He crossed his arms over his chest, wearing an old, dirty white tank top, and heaved a sigh. "...-and yet another amazing rescue by this new hero. If there were any question about whether he was on our side, I think they've been answered now. This Iron Man has become the world's own hero, right out of a comic book!" The lady's smile made Tony snort, looking away from the holographic screen to return to his work. The glowing piece of machinery beamed through his white shirt as he shuffled through blueprints.

His thoughts, however, traveled back to Maxine. _Why had she been involved in that attack today? They'd thrown her at me as a distraction to make a break for it, but... This makes no sense. She's not involved in this... Is she?_ He glanced up at the screen again, then shook his head. A voice entered the room, but it didn't startle Tony, he knew Jarvis was always there.

"Sir, you have a guest, she wishes to be granted access." Tony looked up, blinking. "Who is it, Jarvis?" He asked, wiping his grease-covered hands on an old rag. "I don't know Sir, you have so many women visitors it's hard to keep track of all of them." Jarvis replied, making Tony throw his arms up in defeat. "Ever so helpful, Jarvis." He muttered, striding towards he glass door to the stairway up. "I try, sir."

Tony many his way upstairs and towards the front door of his large home, entering the code to open the door. To his utter shock, Max stood there. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she was wearing casual jeans and a white blouse, thankfully without any of those dreadful high heels she'd acquired recently. "Couldn't resist my overwhelming charm?" He quipped, but the large smile on her face didn't even falter. Instead, she strode right past him into the house, he watched her with curiosity, then shut the door. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked, following her into the living room.

A humongous window was the back wall, behind the long, half-circle couch upholstered in a light brown with assorted throw pillows. The floor was flagstone and the coffee table was a unique chunk of granite, surrounded by three wooden little seats. Tony had to admit, he had taste in interior decorating. He watched Maxine walk slowly through the room, admiring the large window, the view of the ocean at their fingertips. Tony's eyes wandered her face for some sign of why she was here.

She turned to him suddenly, that spark in her unreadable eyes made a chill run up his spine. He couldn't tell if what he was experiencing was fear or arousal, and he didn't think he wanted to know. She walked towards him and jabbed a manicured finger into his chest accusingly. "Tony Stark, you despicable little brat... You're Iron Man." And just like that, all the color in Tony's face drained.


End file.
